1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise device for use with free weights in the form of dumbbell or a barbell. More particularly, the present invention relates to a dumbbell (or barbell) lifting apparatus which provides a pair of handle members to aid in performance of pile exercises of the quadriceps, gluteals and adductor muscles of the lower torso
2. Prior Art
A variety of exercise devices have been proposed and are in use today for the exercise of virtually every muscle of the human body. One type of exercise is known as a pile exercise. A pile exercise differs from a “squat” exercise by virtue of an exaggerated wide leg stance which the exerciser must assume. Such widened leg stance has the effect of placing a greater stress on the adductor (or inner thigh) and buttocks than the “squat” exercise movement. Athletes in need of greater overall lower body strength benefit greatly from the pile exercise.
A problem arises, however, when leg strength exceeds that of the grip or low back thereby limiting the amount of weight one may use with conventional dumbbells alone. This forces athletes to then switch to the barbell dead lift exercise, an exercise in which one repeatedly pulls a barbell from the floor by squatting and standing with arms extended at sides or in front of torso. The hands grip the barbell with a “no slip” reverse grip. The drawbacks of this exercise are, first, that the knees may come into contact with the bar as the barbell rises and the knees straighten and, second, that low back stress is increased.
Two well known traditional methods of adding resistance to one's body weight in performing a pile exercise are: (1) to place a barbell on the upper back behind one's shoulders or (2) to hold a single dumbbell vertically with both hands open and gripping the weighted end, not the stem, of the dumbbell. Both of these methods have significant limitations. In the case of the barbell across the upper back, such method unnecessarily loads the cervical spine thereby causing compression, discomfort and risk of injury of to the back or spine.
The dumbbell methods has two primary drawbacks. First, because leg strength will eventually exceed grip strength, the amount which can be lifted is thereby limited and such method may place the user at risk of injury from dropping the dumbbell as the limits of grip strength are exceeded. The second drawback with vertically lifting a dumbbell by one of its ends is that the length of the dumbbell itself limits the range of motion as the lower end of the dumbbell will prematurely hit the floor because of the length if the dumbbell extends vertically downward toward the floor away from the gripped end.
A more recent method of performing pile exercises involves the use of “kettle balls” which are generally spherical cast iron weights with handles which come in various fixed, non adjustable poundages. Kettle balls are designed for a variety of different exercise regimens and movements addressing multiple muscle groups. The primary disadvantage of kettle balls is that one must purchase a multitude of kettle balls to accommodate strength increases and various user capabilities since the weight of each kettle ball can not be adjusted. An additional disadvantage is that the handles on the kettle balls do not allow for any vertical adjustment to accommodate various exerciser's physical dimensions.